Why I Hunt
by Shermaniac
Summary: In the plains village of Fernwood, Nathan and his friends find themselves in a sticky situation. In order to save their friend, they must take up hunting. Instead of putting life back to normal, that first hunt will change the course of their lives. Soon, hunting may be more than a way to clean up their friends mess.
1. Chapter 1

**1**

As soon as I heard the horns, I flew out my door. I run as fast as I could, like I always did, to the gates, like I always did, just in time to see my older brother, Pete, and his team march through. Behind them, a Yian Garuga, which had recently laid waste to a felyne mining camp, lay lifeless on an Aptonoth-drawn cart; it was their kill, their victory, their duty. My brother was co-captain of our village's hunting team, to protect us and manage any guild quest in our area. I always looked up to him. Some days, I think of how much I would love to be like him one day… until I remember I haven't killed anything bigger than a velociprey.

They parade up the main road of our town. The streets, as always, is lined with citizens paying their gratitude and respect to our guardians. This time is more respect, of course, for a Yian Garuga is no match for our hunting team. They've fought a Nargacuga before, and returned with only minor injuries.

I push my way to the front of the crowd. My brother spots me and walks towards me. As we meet, we embrace. I'm grateful each time he returns, and we embrace each time regardless of how uncomfortable of a thing it is to do with his armor. As we release, he beckons me to walk down the road with him.

Tonight, like each time our hunters return, we will party in the village square. There will be music, dancing, games (with gambling of course), and a LOT of drunk adults. The parties are so carefree that it isn't very hard for the under-aged to sneak a few drinks. I always had a blast with my friends, and naturally I couldn't wait. It starts at sunset, but it is only noon.

Once we get to the guild hall at the end of the street, I part from my brother so that he can finish up with the guild protocol. He'd be home by two o'clock where wed privately celebrate his return as a family with a nice big lunch.

As I'm walking back to my house, someone jumps on my back. I assume it to be Charlie, one of my friends. "Nate! Nate! They're hatching!" Charlie exclaims. Her dad runs our Aptonoth farm for the Great City. We specially breed Aptonoth for work purposes. Every year, we send part of our herd according to a quota to the city, which will distribute them to its village branches who are willing to buy. Our village, however, does not need to buy any. As long as we meet our quota, we can keep extra Aptonoth for our own use. Any odd Aptonoth that isn't fit for the tough work that we breed for end up being slaughtered for food.

Charlie is also my best friend, so she runs straight to me every time there is an egg hatching. She takes my arm and pulls me, urging, "Come with me! They're so cute!"

"Charlie, I would, but my brother will be coming to the house soon," I try to reason with her.

"Aww," she whines overdramatically. "Pleeeeeaaaaase?"

I look at her for a second. "I guess… but I have to be home by 1:30." She shrieks in delight and starts pulling my arm again. I follow.

She does not slow down until we are at the farm gate. We run straight to the breeding yard. Some are fully out of their eggs and standing by their mothers. Some are still working their way out of their shells. The rest of the eggs remain unbroken. I'm not gonna deny that the baby Aptonoth look pretty cute. It's always fun watching Charlie freak over them, too.

"Did she drag you all the way down here again?" her dad asks, laughing.

"I'm used to it by now," I reply.

"Can Nate and I go in there? I wanna hold one," Charlie pleads. Her dad looks back-and-forth between his daughter and the pen, pondering.

"Well, I guess you can. Be careful of the ones that haven't hatched or are still hatching and be careful around the mothers. They know you, not Nathan." She shrieks with joy, walking fast through the gate to the breeding yard. She slows once we're in, so not to startle the mothers, which can be protective whether or not they know you. The funny thing is that the children are oblivious, and have no reason in their mind to fear you. Provided the mother allows it, they will walk right up to you.

"So, your brother returned alright?" Charlie asks me.

"Yeah. The whole team returned without injury this time."

She urges me to be quiet as we approach a mother and her firstborn of her nest. We approach very carefully and cautiously. The mother looks at as and snorts, stepping forward as a warning. Charlie holds up her hands and shushes her. When she is close enough, she places her hand on her snout and begins to stroke it soothingly. She has gained the mother's approval and comfort, and now she beckons me to earn my approval. As I get closer, the mother begins to make noise and be cautious again, but Charlie soothes her just as before. Eventually I, too, am petting the creature's snout. It truly is an exhilarating experience. Charlie leaves me alone with the mother for the Aptonoth calf. I remain with the mother in order to earn her trust more deeply without the presence of Charlie. After a couple minutes, I am able to approach the calf. Charlie steps back first so that us crowding the calf doesn't upset the mother.

The calf staggers towards me. It is not fully able to walk yet, but it's learning. I have no complaints; it's hysterical watching these things take their first steps. Soon, it is close enough to pet. Apparently, it was comfortable, for it collapses into me as I knelt beside it. It may just be a calf, but it still weighed a good hundred pounds. I try to gently push it upward again, but it wouldn't move. All this time, I can hear Charlie giggling at the spectacle behind me. "Oh, shut up and help me," I tell her. Together, we lift the calf off. While we are doing this, the mother begins to act nervously. We back away quickly once the calf is on its feet. The mother calls for it. As it walks back to its mother, Charlie and I leave the pen.

"Well, I did enjoy that. Thanks for bringing me," I tell Charlie.

"It's not like I do that every hatching," she says sarcastically. "I'll see ya tonight, then."

"Yeah, see ya later." I thank her dad and begin to walk home.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

By dusk, the streets are lit up with torches and decorative lamps, cheerful music sets the festive mood, and the village square is packed with citizens ready to party. I enter the square beside my brother, who attracts the whole square's attention along with appreciation and applause. I wish I could be like him. It's inside moments like these I am happy he is my brother. For a second, I even pretend it is me that the mass is cheering for. However, being the average-sized ordinary sixteen-year-old guy I am, I doubt I will ever see the day where I am this respected. As I realize this, pretending they are applauding me feels wrong immediately.

As I make my way into the crowd, I spot David, my brainiac friend. I greet him with the normal greeting… and elbow to the ribs when he's looking the other way. He doesn't get mad; he's used to it. He starts telling me about how he's been tinkering with a bow of which he obtained from the blacksmith's scrap pile. Since then, David has been refurbishing the materials and adjusting the parts, as well as trying his hand at archery with said bow. That's as much as he can tell before Charlie interrupts.

She's still all jittery from the hatching. It's funny how she gets so excited. Not having told David yet, she doesn't hesitate to getting right into it. As David is trapped under her enthusiastic recalling of the hatching, I scan for any more of our friends. I spot Will playing a game of cards.

Will is playing a game of cards… a gambling game of card. Oh shit. Will had a problem with gambling. He was good at first, and got a lot of money. However, when the card players became better at playing and beating him, Will took to hustling… one of these days, he is going to get in a ton of trouble. He plays drunks and tough men. If he picked the wrong one to mess with, shit would go down.

Luckily, I arrive at the table as his opponent was collecting pot. This was his fake game, so I arrived just in time. "Hey! William!" I exclaim as I put my arm around his shoulder. "Why don't you come join the gang, ey?"

"But Nate, I have enough money for another game. Matt over there"- he beckons to a huge, scary man –"was going to play me next."

"No, we really want you to join us." Will is a bigger boy, but I manage to pull his fat ass up and into the crowd. I stop halfway to the gang and slap him upside the head "What the hell is in your head? You're gonna get yourself killed one of these days! Not to mention, you're hustling at a Returning Celebration! Not only are these men getting hammered, but it's just damn-right disrespectful." He only looks at me stunned. His mouth opens, but only non-lingual noises come out. "Good, I've made my point." It isn't hard with Will, of course. His body size sure makes up for what he lacks upstairs.

Well… Will isn't fat as much as big, but still.

We get back with the group just as Emily joins. Her sister is also a hunter, but she's always been fascinated more with the creatures than the art of hunting. After her sister would recount the strategy and hunt to their parents, Emily would ask her sister Sam all about the beast they had slain or captured. With her free time, Emily would sketch and take notes on the wildlife around the outer walls of the village. One day, she wanted to go out further into the wilderness and study the beasts for herself.

Now that the group is all together, we go into the bar. Will is able to pass off some earlier hustled money into an adult at the bar to get us some drinks. Once we have ourselves each a cup, we sneak out of the bar into a side street and out the gates. Out here, it is nice and peaceful and all to ourselves as the rest of our village, Fernwood, partied in the square.

"You're gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble one day, but your bad behavior does have its benefits," David tells Will. The remaining three of us protest.

"Don't encourage him," Emily says. "Men are more unpredictable than any wild beast out there. You don't know who you're messing with each time," Emily reasons.

"Yeah," Charlie agrees, "and how these men handle your cheap scheme is just as unpredictable."

"I think I've got it handled. My uncle is close to the village chief," Will argues.

"What if you aren't given the chance," I put in. Again, I put a silencer to Will. Sometimes, it's really nice to have that kind of effect on him. We begin discussing the upcoming hunting competition in the Great City. Everybody except my brother and Emily's sister wanted to enter it. However, outvoted as they were, they would have to compete. If they were competing, we wanted to go watch.

Eventually, David suggests we all go back to return the cups and be there when the team is honored all together. The members would also give a few brief speeches.

We return just in time to hear the village chief announce Sam, Emily's sister. The crowd applauds as she steps forward. She only says thank you before exiting the stage. Next, Jordan and Sue are called up. Jordan doesn't make a speech either, and Sue announces that she has been engaged to her boyfriend. More applause follows before her announcement that she'll still hunt after the marriage and more applause. Next up is co-captain, my brother. The town loves him. They go crazy each time he is brought up in our Return Celebrations. Also, he always gives a speech.

"Thank you," Pete begins. "Thank you all for your applause, your appreciation, and the festivities you all have done part in setting up upon our arrival. It will never cease to feel amazing, standing up here as you cheer for me; for us as a team for protecting you, our people, our family, and our friends. There is a moment that feels better than right now. Maybe it's even better than seeing my family when I return, especially my brother who always eagerly waits for me to spot him on the side of main street. This feeling I speak of that beats all others is out on those hunts. I know, and so does the rest of my team, that without what we contribute to our village there wouldn't be the luxury or excess which we have for such parties. We wouldn't have such a large, bustling population. We wouldn't have these events that bring us together. We wouldn't have our family that will always stick by us and wait at those gates for my team and me to return. You cause that moment, and that moment is my motivation. If I had a drink in my hand right now, I'd toast to you all. Thank you."

The crowd cheers loudly. There's my brother again: being everything I want to be. Finally, the chief introduces the captain, Kevin. I always saw him as an arrogant and selfish snob, but the villagers loved him as much, maybe more, than Pete. To be honest, he was attractive and charming. Really, I think he is in it for fame. He came from a wealthy Great City family that moved here when our last team was nearing its end. Of course, being young and a native won the Great City's hunting council's approval and he became captain. My brother says he often puts the team in dangerous situations as he tries to be the hero of the quest. This is grounds for Kevin's removal, but he'd have the Great City on his side, being a native.

"Hello, Fernwood!" The crowd of villagers roared in approval. "I am very grateful that my team and I can return each time to see you all. I plan on continuing my leadership for a long time in order to make our team great for you." The crowd goes crazy in applause once more. "I am also happy to announce we will be entering the Great City's tournament for up-and-coming hunting teams. I hope to see you all there supporting us as we go down in history. Thank you" So arrogant, but the crowd loves him. Whatever.

The party goes on until near dawn. Around midnight, Charlie is tired and asks me to walk with her to her house. It is one of the farthest houses from the square, since it is near the outside so that it is near the Aptonoth ranch.

"Why don't you hunt?" Charlie asks. "You have expressed interest before, and I'm sure your brother would help you get into it."

"I don't know," I tell her. "I just feel like I wouldn't have much of a chance at getting anywhere."

"Well why not?"

"I'm not fit, I'm not very talented, and I just don't think my personality is cut out for hunting."

"Why not?" she repeats.

"It's just how I feel. I can't explain it."

"Well, I don't think you should completely discard the idea. I think you might make a good hunter." We arrive at her house. She thanks me and hugs me before walking in. My house is just down the outer-road. I decide to go home, as well. It's been a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Our village is pretty well-secured for its threat level. We are positioned in a region of plains and hills. In every direction, one would run into a forest. The founders of this village chose an amazing place to build on. There was a wooden wall with wooden spikes to prevent any monster ramming its way in. Around the perimeter are watch towers that will alert the town in case of danger. The buildings in the village are all sturdy, being made of stone. Because of this, villagers will retreat into the nearest building and wait out the monster's exit if the hunters are out. If the hunting team is home for the time being, they will deal with the monster once the villagers are hidden.

During the day, it was normally safe to play around in the fields outside of our town. David and I were kicking a rubber ball back and forth as we talked. It was a simple yet relaxing activity. Surprisingly, we never got bored of it. Right now, however, I am not enjoying this.

"I've seen the way you look at her. You can't deny you have a thing for Charlie," Dave insists for the one-thousandth time.

"We're best friends, Dave; only best friends. I just find it funny how she acts over the Aptonoth herd."

"Funny?" he questions. "Not 'cute'?"

I don't disagree. I do find her pretty cute at times… but I have to deny him. "Funny. That's all. We are only friends and I don't have interest in changing it."

"Give it a month or two and I'm sure it will. She sure likes you."

"I'm sure she'd say we're just friends, too." I tell Dave.

"Yeah, of course she would SAY that."

"You know, I don't-," I am cut off by the arrival of a very pale William.

"Where are the girls," he asks us softly. "We need to talk as a group."

"I think Emily and Charlie are both at the Aptonoth ranch," David answers. With this, we head for the ranch.

"Why do I already have a feeling as to what this is about?"

"Ok, ok, OKAY!" Will is freaking out. Something is seriously wrong, and we all know what it is. "All you bastards were fucking right. I admit it. I'm an idiot."

"So some big gambling guy finally put the fear of God in you?" Charlie asks.

Will doesn't respond for some time. "Will?" I am trying to get his attention now.

"He…" Will is falling apart. He's a mess right now. "He's gonna kill my family in front of me if I don't get him the money he wants…"

We all fall silent. None of us knows how to react. Do we get mad at him? Of course we're worried, but he brought this on himself. However… this is different, because now he's gotten others in trouble as well.

Charlie is the first to speak up. "What do you need us to do?"

"Charlie?" David questions.

"Do you have a problem? Yes, Will brought this upon himself with his irresponsible actions, but he's our friend, is he not?"

"Charlie's right," I agree. "He's our friend, and we're gonna help him."

"Fine," David gives in. "What do you need us to do?"

"Well, I need to find a way to get that money."

"Do you expect us to just pay out of our pocket?" Emily asks. "What sum of money are we talking about here?"

Will hesitates. "10,000 zennies." Zenny, abbreviated "z," was our currency. This is a large sum of money. David shakes his head in disbelief and Emily gasps.

"Will," I begin, but struggle at pulling the rest together. "There is no way you can tell us to come up with that much."

"Why don't you just tell the authorities?"asks Charlie.

"This guy knows the right authorities to hear that I went to them. I don't know which ones, though. He said if I go, he'll know, and he won't wait the full week."

"You only have a week?!" the four of us exclaim at once. Will nods his head and sinks to the ground.

"Do your parents have the money?" David asks.

"They're going through a rough patch… my dad might literally kill me. I can't tell them. They can't know."

"Don't you think this guy is only bluffing?"

"Would you take that chance?" Charlie questions.

All five of us are at a loss of ideas. We need to figure this out, and fast. We decide to meet up after we each eat dinner and decide.

"I am SO pissed off. You have no idea," Pete tells my parents and me over dinner. "This tournament is a waste of our money and time. It is nothing more than a publicity stunt."

"Well, Kevin would be one for publicity stunts, wouldn't he?" I add in.

"Yeah," Pete agrees. "Sometimes I want something to happen to him on a hunt. Sometimes I consider 'just missing the chance to save him' in a hunt, but it's against my values. I save his ass all the time…"

"Who could blame you," our father says. My mother proceeds to scold him.

"If we win that tournament, Kevin won't stop there. With all that publicity from the city, he'll want to apply there. The team won't want to agree, but we'll have the city to back Kevin up and it'll just be a mess."

We sit in silence for a while. Later, Pete tells us, "At that point, I might as well quit. Maybe I'll become a trainer in our village. It'll help out our economy if we can get an academy going. So many of our youth don't have that chance since the closest academy is pretty far away." Again I ponder the idea of me hunting.

Then it hits me. This is how the five of us will get the money. We can hunt. We can take up a mild case hunt. But the thing is that none of us can hunt. We'll need a teacher…


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

We had all agreed to meet outside the gates. When I got there, the four had been waiting.

"What took you so long?" Will asks.

"I found a way to save your ass, that's what," I respond. My brother steps out of the gate behind me.

"How does telling more people help my case?"

Now Pete speaks up. "If I'm gonna save you and your family, you're gonna pay me a lil more respect." Silence follows. Pete made his point.

"Now that that's settled," I begin, "I assume you'd like to listen to my plan? Or do you think one of yours is good enough?"

"Well," David begins, "I thought maybe Charlie could sneak some of her Aptonoth into the black market."

Charlie gets up, rushes to David, and slaps him hard across the face, almost knocking him over. "Don't you dare suggest something like that ever again. Leave the Aptonoth out of this!"

"Even if she was ok with it, the black market could get us in more trouble with money-handling mad men," Emily reasons.

"Well sorry, it was just an idea… do you have better?" David questions.

Charlie replies, "David could make and sell things. Haven't you come up with anything useful yet?"

David looks down, "No… I really talk better of my 'inventing' than it deserves. I can never stick with an idea. I give up. I guess I'm just not an inventor."

"That sounds sad, but we can comfort you later," Emily says. "We need a plan."

"Well then, does anyone else have one?" I ask. Silence follows as I had expected. "Then I will tell you mine. We're gonna earn the money together by taking up a quest, all five of us. My brother is gonna teach us what we need to know."

"Don't we have to put money into that?" Will asks. "Like, a quest fee or something?"

"I'm sure we could all pitch in to have enough. We might even get a quest that will get us all the money."

"Pete, do you think you could teach us in under a week?" asks Charlie.

"I'm sure I could. You can get a hefty price for some small monsters, especially if you can capture it, not slay it."

"I don't feel like I'm hunting material," Will says. "Maybe none of us are."

"Well," I say, "if we're gonna get you out of your mess, we're going to have to be."

"I'm in," Charlie voices. I look around. Slowly, the others agree. We will hunt for the 10,000.

"We better start preparing now then," Pete says. "We don't have long, and we don't know if or when I will have to go out on a hunt myself."


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

"First things first, each of you will need to choose a weapon," Pete tells us. "Now, it is best that you all possess a different kind. Diversity is good so you have a well rounded attack, and just as a weapon depends on your traits, so do your duties in a hunt, but we'll get to that more later."

Pete has brought us all to the team center. The whole team bought a building which they could meet, prepare, and store their equipment and other such items in. After searching around a bit, he has gathered one of each weapon type and lied them across a counter. In front of us were a sword and shield, dual swords, a longsword, a greatsword, a hunting hammer, a hunting horn, a bowgun, and a bow and arrow. These were the four main weapon groups which we would be selecting from.

"Have any of you hunted or wielded one of these weapons for any reason before?" Pete asks us. I say I have, but no one else appears to have done so before. "Very well. You work with a sword and shield, do you not, lil brother?"

"I do," I say.

"Then, it is best you stick with that. Who's next?" David steps forward. "David, right?" Pete asks. David nods. "I've heard you like to do a lot of tinkering?" He nods again. "I think the type of weapon that will suit you is a bowgun. It is something you will be able to tinker with and improve, and I'm sure you'll find interest in experimenting and creating your own ammunition for it." Pete hands a basic bowgun to Dave.

"I actually would be extremely happy with that idea," Dave says, holding the bowgun as if about to shoos something. "I'll do it."

"Good. Who's next?" Pete asks again. This time, Charlie takes a step forward.

"This probably sounds odd to you, but I kinda want a job that will involve the least amount of hurting creatures," Charlie tells Pete. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Pete insists. "A hunting horn would prolly be best for you."

"It looks really heavy…" Charlie points out. She isn't quite strong, after all.

"Depending upon the materials, they can actually be quite light," Pete assures her. "It can also be misleading. You have to remember that these things are hollow. Of course, the club part at the end of it has to be bulky in cases of defense when a beast comes at you, but the rest of it is pretty light." Pete lifts it and hands it to her, telling her to try it out.

"Wow," she remarks. "This isn't as heavy as it looks; you're right!" She hand it back to him, and he lies it down on the counter.

"William, how about you come up here next," Pete suggests. "After all, this is all for your sake."

William sighs and approaches Pete. "I'm rather slow and big. I'm not hunting material."

"Don't say that," Pete scolds. "Anybody is hunting material if they use their potential in the right area. You have a bit of muscle, yes?"

Will examines his arms. "I mean… I guess I do." Pete goes across the room, grabs a large rock big enough that he must cradle it, and places it in Will's arms. "What is this?"

"Gravios shell," replies Pete. "Really heavy stuff, and you seem to do fine. I think a hammer is the right choice for you." After Pete puts the monster shell back where he got it, he hands Will the hammer. "A hammer wielder isn't meant to have speed. He or she must stand his ground sturdy and pack the punch of the team. What the hammer unit is really useful for is knocking down monsters, knocking out monsters, or, in cases like the Gravios, breaking the shell so that a blade or bowgun could penetrate that vulnerable area."

"I don't know…"

"Did I mention approaching a monster as a hammer unit is quite a gamble? You seem to be pretty familiar with the idea." We all laugh; even Will can't help it.

"Fine," he gives in. "I wouldn't mind the hammer I suppose."

"That leaves Emily," I tell Pete.

"Ah," he looks at her. "I've seen you around the library a bit. Smart?"

"Well, yeah you could say that," Emily answers.

"You guess?" Dave questions. "Unbelievable! You are always putting in clever remarks or proving somebody wrong. You're like the smartest person I know!" Everybody is staring at David now. Emily is blushing a bit. After Dave realizes his outburst, he sinks back a bit in embarrassment. "Well, yeah she's pretty smart."

Pete gets back on track. "Clever, he mentioned? Would you say you can think and react quickly?"

"I think so."

"Are you fast?"

"She outruns all of us," Charlie says.

"I know just what weapon to give you. How do you feel about dual swords?" Pete picks up a couple of iron blades and hands them to her. She ponders deeply for a minute.

"It seems logical. The swords are probably the best for me; you're right."

"Alright, then! Nate will handle the sword and shield. Charlie will support with the horn. Dave will pack a punch with his hammer. Emily will destroy with her dual swords. Dave will man the guns. Are we good?" We all nod our heads. "Marvelous! Why don't you all go home, then. It's getting late, and you'll need sleep for when we begin tomorrow." No one complains. David, Will, and Emily leave right away. Charlie stays with me and my brother. Eventually, he leaves to make an appointment with the blacksmith the next morning and we are left alone.

"Good job, thinking of hunting for the money," Charlie tells me. "It seems like it will be a fun sorta thing."

"Will you be okay with us attacking other creatures?" I ask her. I doubt she can handle it.

"I think I can. As long as you guys do the majority of the attacking, I can support you with the hunting horn."

"You've always wanted to be a musician, after all." She laughs helplessly at this. I can't help but remember my conversation with David the other day.

I'm pretty sure she still views us as friends though… This is hell. How long will my brother be gone?

Well, that doesn't matter anymore when Charlie says, "We're a long way from my house. It's across the village. Would you walk with me, Nate?" I can't exactly say no. I leave a note for Pete about where I've gone and head out with her.

We walk in silence for a while. "A sword and shield hunter is usually one of the main attackers in a team, isn't it?" Charlie asks eventually. I nod. "Are you scared about that?"

"I'd be more scared to be Emily or Will," I reply. "I have a shield. They don't."

"Well, I hope you're safe," she says. After a pause, she finally adds, "I hope we all are." For a second I think she might like me, but I am her best friend. Of course she'd want me safe, right?

I drop her off at her house and head back to mine. I get there at about the same time my brother is.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," he tells me, stopping me before I go inside. "I may have exaggerated a bit. A ten thousand dollar quest is going to be a bit difficult."

"I understand," I tell Pete. "That is why we need you to teach us."

"You all will have to learn to work as one team together. Do you think you are capable of that?"

I think for a second. "I think we'll be able to work it out."

"Your team is going to need a leader. Someone strategic and someone who can make them work well together." I can see where he is going with this. "You are going to have to lead them. You seem to have the most authority. I can see it by how they act around you and hear the authority you speak with and respect they return."

"You don't think anyone is better? What about Emily. She has plenty of strategy."

"She doesn't seem as 'in touch' with every part of the team as you do."

I guess he's right. "What will I have to do?"

"Let's work on that tomorrow," Pete suggests. "For now, we need some rest. Come on." We head inside and go to bed. I cannot wait to start training.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

It is ten in the morning once all five of us have arrived in the square. Pete is frustrated. "If we're gonna have you ready to hunt by the end of the week, you are all gonna have to get up plenty earlier."

"You kept us out late," Will complains. "Don't we have to be awake and rested?"

Emily shoots him a dirty look. Dave took a more aggressive approach, placing his fist right into Will's jaw and sending him flying to the cobblestone pavement of the village square.

"Listen here, you little asshole," David begins. "We are doing this for your sorry, irresponsible little ass. You are gonna show Pete some fucking respect! Also, you are gonna do what he says and suffer through it like the rest of us! All five of us could quit right now and leave you there."

Will sits there looking up at Dave. He's petrified. Dave has managed to stun the rest of us as well, even Pete. Will gets up and brushes of the dust; he has learned his lesson.

"Now that that is settled, I have my monetary contribution up first on today's agenda. We're going to the blacksmith to get you fitted with the right equipment; both armor and weapons."

As we begin walking, Dave speaks up, "But sir that is my father. Aren't we keeping this situation a secret?"

Pete laughs. "Once you leave for that quest, this isn't a secret. Plus, it's kinda hard to hide an Aptonoth-drawn cart with whatever monster you hunted on top of it. Why hide it at all? It's pointless, really."

"Isn't that a lot of money?" Charlie asks. "It seems like it'd break you."

"We do quests for a living. Urgent quests pay a ton, too. I have a bit of excess money. You know me too well; me, the one that acts like a middle class person. If you hung around Kevin, he flaunts it."

"Is there any way that you could get out of competing?" Emily asks. "I know Sam is so against the idea."

"We'd have to quit the team," Pete replies. "That would be a sign that we lack honor as well as failure to be there when our town needs us. We'll have to compete."

Eventually, we arrive at the blacksmith. "Howdy, Pete. Congrats on the successful hunt," says Butch, the master blacksmith and David's father. He greets us as well. "What can I do for you today?"

"Actually, it's not me. The friends wanna start hunting, and I'm treating them to basic equipment fit for them."

Butch seems both excited and surprised. "Very well. I'll call out my felynes to evaluate them one by one." Felyne's were like cat-humanoids. They were peaceful, patient, and smart creatures. Usually, they were loyal servants. Rarely did someone abuse, neglect, or harm them.

One by one, we went up to the three felynes to get evaluated. The evaluation included strength, coordination, and size. Once they were done, we were sent on our way. Butch promised the equipment would be done by dusk.

"What will we do when we are waiting?" I ask Pete.

He replies, "You are all gonna go to the arena. I'll see you later."

Pete leaves us. "Why are we going to the arena?" Dave asks.

"I think we're supposed to watch the team practice," I reply.

"Is there something specific to watch for?" Charlie asks.

"Well… Dave should watch Jordan. He hunts with a bowgun. I need to watch Kevin, since he has the sword and shield. Charlie should watch Sue with the hunting horn. Other than that, there isn't a hunter with a hammer or a set of dual swords. My brother uses the greatsword, and Sam uses the bow and arrow."

We take our seats in the arena about halfway up. We don't want to be too close, but we don't wanna be too far back. The arena was carved downward out of a huge rock. The seats are carved from this stone with dips and risings. We could fit the whole village in here. Once you reach the seats closest to the arena, the wall is about four feet and metal bars top it. Over the metal bars is a drop of 10 feet. The wall to the arena slopes a little. We watch the team walk out of the hunter doors of the arena. There are four… Pete is missing.

As each of us is looking around for him, he comes up behind us, surprising and scaring the shit out of all of us. "I want you guys front row," he says. "If you're going to be hunters, you're gonna get over any fear or trigger of nervousness when it comes to hunting as soon as possible starting now." He watches to make sure we are standing in the front row. Once we are there, he hops the metal bars and slides down the wall into the arena to join his team.

First, they do a series of stretches and warm-up exercises… in their armor? Will is the first to express what everyone is probably wondering. "Why are they doing that in their armor?"

"They probably need to get used to moving in their suits," Emily answers.

"That's probably going to be the majority of what we do tomorrow then," Charlie adds.

"I can't wait to see Will do exercise without the armor," Dave mocks. "It'll be hysterical watching him exercise in a suit of armor."

I shush them. "Shut up; they're getting ready." Kevin unsheathes his sword and grabs his shield. The others exit the arena. The Arena owner releases five velociprey onto the sandy arena ground. They spot Kevin and begin to approach him.

Velociprey greatly resemble raptors, but with more traits of a bird. They are slender, fast, seem to glide on their feet, and their snout is more of a beak. They are cunning creatures of great strategy and group coordination. They approach Kevin slowly, calling back and forth to each other. However, Kevin does not wait. "He leaps forward at one of the beasts at the far right. He slashes it once across its beak before jumping back. He did this to throw them off. A nervous velociprey breaks from the pack and leaps at Kevin. He smashes his shield into its small head before decapitating the disoriented velociprey. He rolls out of the way of one leap to get up and launch at that same raptor before it could turn around. He lodges his sword in its rib cage. Immediately, he pulls out the sword and spins around. Just as he turns around, two leap from each side. Kevin thinks quick, ducking. The creatures clash and fall to the ground. Kevin offs each of them and looks at the remaining raptor. He takes the offensive this time, walking towards the raptor, which is now backing off. Kevin lunges forward and swings his sword at it. It jumps back and lunges forward as Kevin takes a step forward. It meets Kevin's shield, and finally his sword. The fight is over.

Felynes quickly clear the corpses from the arena. Next out is my brother, who faces the same. He takes the offensive for the most part this time, batting away and disorientating the velociprey with the flat of his sword and turning each beast into two parts. He gets knocked over once, since he cannot move exceptionally fast with his massive sword. However, he takes care of the five in less time than Kevin did.

Next out is Jordan with his bowgun. The arena master releases 5 rembora, creatures that greatly resemble snakes with wings and hind legs. They attack with coordination, just as the velociprey had done. Jordan shoots each down with impeccable aim. One, he experiments with. He shoots paralyzing ammunition at one, and as it lies on the ground in its paralysis, Jordan stomps on its head. Once he has exhausted each flying creature, he exits the arena, and the felynes clean up with haste.

Next is Sam with her bow and arrow. She faces the same challenge that Jordan faced. However, her first shot poisons one of them. She pays no attention to it for the rest of her round. Eventually, it falls and dies a slow death. I can't help but look over at Charlie. A tear is in her eye from the suffering death of that rembora. While looking over at Charlie, I notice that Emily is taking down notes and rough sketches, Dave is watching intently, and Will is falling asleep. I tell Dave to duck before reaching over him to slap Will in the back of the head. His head shoots up, and he glares at me. I scold him to watch. Right as I look back, a rembora swoops down at Sam. She quickly grabs an arrow from her quiver and impales it, sending it spiraling to the ground behind her, to its death. Again, the hunter exits and the felynes pick up.

Last up is Sue and her hunting horn. Before any beast is released, she gets on one knee and begins to play a tune. I start to feel more awake and energetic, yet able to retain my focus. Will is awake now too; maybe she saw him dozing off. This is the effect of the specific tune she is playing right now. The master releases two bullfango, beasts that resemble wild hogs with massive tusks, brown and white fur, and a ton more muscle. These beasts are more brute-like, lacking of strategy and coordination but able to pack a serious punch. One charges Sue as she is playing. She waits a scary long time to react. When it is getting scary close, she spins around and swings the horn with her, catching the hog right in the head. This kills it on impact and sends it flying towards the wall. Sue now looks back at the second hog, which is now charging her. She holds the horn behind her, resting it on the ground. Once it is closing in, she lifts the horn and brings it down right on the brute, stopping it there. She hit its back, not its head, so she finishes it off with one more blow to the head. She exits; the felynes clean.

I go and stand by Charlie. "Are you doing alright?"

She sniffles, probably a side effect of crying. "Yeah," she replies. "I just got a little emotional when Sam poisoned one of them. It looked like it was in so much pain." She grabs onto me, apparently emotional again. I hold her and try to calm her.

"We won't be doing that kind of hunting though, Charlie," I assure her. "At least you know your weapon choice does the job quick, right?" She nods and releases me, wiping her eyes one more time.

"Are they done now?" Emily asks.

"I think they fight one bigger monster together to work on coordination and teamwork," I respond. "That means we all need to pay close attention this time, right Will?"

"Shut up. I was having trouble sleeping last night. It's not like I just found out my whole family was going to die if I can't help it."

"But-!" Dave cuts off Emily, who was furious by now.

"Maybe we need to start working on our teamwork now," Dave says. "Watch, they're coming out now."

All five teammates are standing on the arena sand now, and the arena master is opening the gates. Out of the gates comes a Daimyo Hermitaur. This beast is referred to as a carapaceon, and largely resembles a large crab with a skull on its back as a shell. Since they are usually found in the desert, Daimyo Hermitaurs tend to sport Monoblos skulls. My brother has fought a few of these before, since just southwest of our village is desert. He has told me all about these. I can just imagine the joy on his face right now, since this is his favorite monster.

The crab's first move is to turn around and charge at the team with his shell. This could really mess up a hunter, but it is not fast enough and is charging blind. The team scatters. Jordan ends up dodging the shell after sticking a few explosive rounds into his shell. As he turns towards Sam, who has just missed his eye with an arrow, the rounds explode, causing it to scream. Charlie grabs onto my hand. I turn to see her biting her lip, fighting to keep her composure.

Sue starts playing a tune on her horn that must cause an adrenaline reaction. I can feel the effects in the stands. As Sam distracts the massive carapaceon with her arrows, Kevin runs around the flank of the beast. Once behind it, he slashes each of its four legs on his side, causing the beast to fall. Now, Jordan sticks explosive rounds in each of the Daimyo Hermitaurs claws. Pete positions himself on the side of the crab's intact legs. As the rounds explode, pieces of the claws fly everywhere. The crab stands back up, only to have its legs taken off by my brother.

Now armed with pellet rounds (rounds that release many projectiles for a shotgun effect), Jordan shoots at its face. Sam is shooting paralysis-coated arrows at the crab. Kevin is standing back, along with Pete. Safe behind the crab's shell, Sue is dealing massive blows in order to chip away at its shell and expose its extremely vulnerable back. With one last blow, the shell is gone, allowing my brother to stick his greatsword into its back, finishing the crab off. It seemed like no match for the team, but it was only a practice, after all.

We meet with Pete outside of the area. "So were you all paying attention?" he asks.

"Yes, sir," Will responds, earning a dirty look from Emily.

"You all can go home now. We'll meet after dinner."

Pete returns to the team building while the others part right away. Charlie, however, hangs around a bit and asks for me to walk with her again.

On our way, she pulls me into an alley and presses her face into my chest, beginning to cry. I embrace her and try to comfort her. "It was in so much pain," she sobs, although it is muffled into my chest.

"Will you be able to hunt with us?" I ask her. She is worrying me severely.

She pulls back, beginning to take deep breaths. After a while, Charlie responds, "I can't I have to help out. I have to keep my cool for Will. He needs all of us. I can't not help."

Wow, she is a really loyal friend. "Are you sure?" I ask her.

"Yes, I am not going to back out. I'm going to be strong. I'm better now. I can walk the rest of the way."

"Are you sure? I don't mind walking with you."

"Yeah, I'm good. Thank you, Nathan." She kisses me on the cheek and starts to walk home.

She kissed me on the cheek…


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

We were all in the square by six. Dave announces that our equipment is done being made, so we head there straight away.

All of our armor is iron and Rathalos shell. Basic, but it felt great and would definitely do the job. Our weapons were made the same way for the most part with different materials where needed. For example, there was a bit of bone and wood used in Charlie's hunting horn.

Once we exit the blacksmith shop, Pete tells us, "You all are going to hate this next part of your training. We're going to the arena. Let's go."

We all enter the arena. Entering the arena created a sensation of importance. Only our beloved teams practice here. It feels amazing standing where so many of our villages legends have heard.

For some reason, Pete had told us to leave our weapons outside of the arena; we wouldn't be needing them"

"Ok, so what are we doing? Do we have to dodge or run from a monster's attacks, or what?" Dave asks, eagerly.

Pete has a nasty shit-eating grin on his face. I'm scared. "You guys need to get used to moving around in those suits. Start running. Gimme fifteen laps, but listen closely for my voice." Everybody looks at Will waiting for a complaint, but none come. Together, we start running. As we separate, Emily begins to lead the pack followed by me, then Charlie, then Dave, and (far behind) Will.

Three laps in, Pete calls out, "I want you running sideways to your right!" We obey. This motion is so much harder when you're in a suit of armor. I'm sweating like crazy and my legs feel like they are going to give out. In a few minutes, Pete tells us to run sideways to our left. Eventually, we are allowed to run normally again… until he tells us to run backwards. Only a few seconds in, Will falls on his ass. As David laughs at William, he follows, slipping and landing hard on his back. Pete urges that they get up and keep going. At lap eight, Will collapses. Felynes race out to him, but then leave him lying on the ground. Apparently nothing was wrong with him. Pete grabs him, pulls him to his feet, and pushes him onward. He collapses again at lap eleven. Pete gives up at this point. By the time we all reach the end of lap fifteen, we drop. None of us plan on getting up any time soon. Dave throws off his helmet right away and loses his dinner. Emily, feeling as though he got too close to her, boots him further from her and reluctantly rolls over.

By now the sun has set. A messenger felyne approaches my brother. After a brief conversation, Pete tells us we are done for the day and to be up at dawn tomorrow. Then, he leaves. I assume he must go on a quest.

After twenty minutes of lying on the ground, we begin to get up and walk out of the arena. We agree to meet in the square and get some food after we get out of our armor.

"That was hell," Will says, last to approach the table we claimed. We don't get mad at him. We only agree.

"We don't have much time for that if we're gonna be ready by the end of the week," I say. "With that in mind, I doubt we'll be doing that much more."

"I sure hope you're right."

"Will he be back tomorrow in time to train with us?" Charlie asks.

I answer, "He'll probably give us a training procedure we can do on our own. He's gonna be out all night on whatever quest he's on, so-" I am cut off by a booming voice from a large man.

"William!" the man exclaims. "I don't suppose you have my money yet, do you?"

"No, sir," Will whimpers. "I'll have it soon though."

"Oh I'd sure hope so," the man replies. "Your family is a nice one; nice people. However, I am a man of my word."

"Your 'word' is cruel and inhuman," Charlie speaks up. Everyone looks nervously at her, then at the man.

"And who might you be, little girl?" His voice was now deeper and harsher. "You have a lot of nerve, talking to me like that. Don't you know what I could do?"

I can't stand it. I speak up, "You leave her alone." All the people in the square begin to pause and look at us. Apparently, this man has a reputation. "You seem to be a pretty respected guy," I continue. "Why would you waste that respect on teenagers like us."

"Because it's what I do that makes them respect me," the man says, stepping towards where I'm sitting. "Apparently, it's you young children that lack that respect. I think I need to show you why I'm respected."

"Let's get out of here," Dave insists. "It's not worth it." I lock eyes with the man for a few seconds before getting up with the rest of them and walking off.

"You hustled a guy that big?" Emily asks Will furiously.

"He looked like an absolute dumb oaf!" Will insists. "I didn't think any of this would happen."

"Will, do us all a favor after we save your ass. Don't ever gamble again." Emily storms home. Will looks at us sorrowfully before doing the same.

"What were you two thinking?" David interrogates. "You could have just made the problem so much worse." Charlie only looks down.

I respond, "I just wanted the guy to back off of my friends."

"Well, keep doing that and he won't back off after we get the money. When you two just did that, you put us all in danger." Dave storms home, too. This left me and Charlie.

"Thank you for standing up for me, back there," she tells me.

"It's no big deal. I just wanted the guy to leave you alone. I didn't want him to hurt you." That was the truth, not what I told Dave.

"Thank you, Nathan. I'm really sorry. I just hate how cruel people can be and I didn't like him talking to George like that and I know that I could have really just screwed things up and I don't want anyone to be mad at me and I hope that guy doesn't-" I cut her off, pressing my lips to hers. I've been so restraining lately that I almost couldn't help myself. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back.

"Please don't worry about it, Charlie. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to protect all of us. We'll get through this."

As I lie in bed, my mind has that moment in the empty street with Charlie on a constant repeat. She went home after that. I wonder if she is feeling the same…

My train of thought is interrupted by a knocking on my window shutters. I look around my room first. Normally I'd share it with Pete, but he was on a quest. Curiously, but carefully, I open the shutter. It's Charlie.

I recheck the room. My parents sleep on the other end of the house, and my brother was out. "Charlie? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Um… ok this is gonna be very embarrassing… I'm kinda scared. Can I come in?"

I look around and think for a second. "Well… I don't see why not." I hold the shutters open as she climbs into my room. I whisper, "Keep your voice down. My brother is gone but my parents are home." She nods. We sit on my bed together. Finally, I ask her what's bothering her.

"Well, there are a couple things," Charlie answers. "For one, I'm scared of that guy. The way he was looking at me was… I felt insecure. I felt vulnerable. He just… I can't stop thinking about him. And then I can't help but remember earlier today, with the suffering beasts. They're keeping me up, between the thought of them and the fear of them coming back in my dreams… maybe I'm just being stupid."

"No," I tell her. "It's not stupid. But, I don't know what you want me to do. You're going to need to sleep eventually."

"I was hoping you could help me with that."

"You want to sleep here? That's what you're saying?"

She doesn't give any response. I don't now how we'd pull it off, but for some reason I say, "Fine," anyway. My parents usually don't come in here anyway, and Pete won't be back for a while. I lift my sheets for her to crawl under.

"I really appreciate this, Nate." By now, I'm tired as fuck so I only nod. We lie down so that we are facing each other. She's tearing up. I guess she really is distressed from all this. After gently kissing her forehead, I pull her into my chest. It's not long before I can feel the dampness from my shirt on my chest from her tears.

"It's going to be ok, Charlie. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

I am awake for a few minutes before I realize Charlie is here with me, and it takes me a few seconds of panic to remember what happened the previous night. She's still sound asleep. I had gotten her to stop crying sometime before we both fell asleep last night. Apparently, I provided suitable comfort. I kiss her on her forehead and slowly ease out of the sheets as not to wake her.

That's when I hear someone moving in the in the front room. I rush over to my bed and nudge Charlie. As soon as her eyes are slightly open, I say, "Do not move or make any sound, ok?" She nods, and I throw a sheet over her right as my brother walks in. "Home already?"

"It wasn't much… just a Rathalos. Mid-hunt at about three is when it got bad… it grabbed a snack." His tone sunk lower. Something was wrong… but what?

"Well, isn't that usually good? It renders the wyvern vulnerable."

"Yeah, but it was at the farm." He looks behind me. I turn around to see Charlie sitting straight up, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"What?!" she exclaimed in a powerful whisper. Pete didn't answer. He was just as shocked as Charlie was, but for a different reason.

"They're gonna be looking for her," I tell Pete. "Let's get going."

The scene is chaotic. The barn is destroyed, pieces of fencing scattered, and five Aptonoth dead. One is missing a chunk out of its side; it must have been the snack and the other four in the way. Charlie begins to sob into my shoulder, and I can't take my eyes off the scene. Pete walks over to Charlie's father, who is assessing the damage done to the barn.

"What are you going to tell your father about where you were?" I ask her.

"I don't give a fuck about that right now, Nathan," she replies. Charlie walks over to one of the deceased calves and kneels beside it. After talking with my brother, her dad walks over to her. They are too far away to hear, but I can tell he's mad. This is probably about where she was last night. Judging by the couple of times he looked at me, he was putting the clues together but jumping to THAT conclusion. He then grabs her by the arm and drags her back to their house.

"Explain." I jump. My brother had just came up from behind me.

"Listen. It isn't what you think." I go on to recall how she was upset in the arena, and how our confrontation with the large gambling man went. I tell him how she was so stressed and scared and upset over the day's events that she wanted someone with her. Finally, I assure him that nothing happened between us but sleep. When I finish, he seems more relaxed.

"I believe you," he tells me. "I wouldn't try that again though. If Mom or Dad caught that, they wouldn't be so accepting.

We begin walking back to our house. I break the silence halfway back. "You know her father better than I do. How harshly do you think he'll react?"

"Not well, I can say that much," he responds. "I don't know, though. I definitely wouldn't count on her being at training."

We reach our house when Pete tells me, "Tell your friends to go to the arena. Don't worry; it's not more harsh training. I'm gonna go there to set up some things."

Before he walks away I ask Pete, "Did you get the Rathalos, or did he get away?"

Pete freezes his expression grim. "No," he answers. "He got away."


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

I'm the last one to the square. Everyone looked physically exhausted; Will actually looked dead. Emily was pumped though, ready for more training. "Do you know what we're doing today?"

I shake my head. "I haven't talked to my brother a lot this morning. We're just supposed to go to the arena." Dave asks where Charlie is, so I lie, "The farm got caught in the middle of last night's fight. She has to help out."

Emily looks at me skeptically. She was as good as reading people as she was at reading monsters. Lucky for me, she doesn't say anything… until I'm trailing behind the pack on the way to the arena. "You still suck at lying, Nathaniel."

"You know I hate that name." There really is no point in denying. "Ok, maybe it was a lie… but I'm still not telling." She settles. There was no point besides calling me my dreaded full name and telling me I am a horrible liar.

We walk into the arena. Pete stands in the center. "You are all going to love today. Everyone leave the arena." Confused, we obey. Once out the gate, Pete continues, "Everyone, besides Will." We all look at him. His face lost all color. Putting on his helmet, he turns around and walks back out. Pete walks out of the arena and pulls the lever, bringing down the bars that would now separate our friend from us.

"Draw your weapon." Will lifts his large-ass hunting hammer from his back. With a large smile of amusement, Pete shouts, "Let her out!"

The gate on the opposite end of the arena opens, letting free a velociprey. It runs to the center of the arena before stopping and staring down Will. In this moment, Will does the worst thing he could do: step back. The velociprey tilts its head and cries out.

"It's seeing how far it can intimidate him," Emily whispers, quiet enough so that David, Pete, and I could hear but Will could not. "This is going to be awful."

David replies, "You kidding? This is going to be fucking amazing!"

Will takes a couple more steps back, and the velociprey begins to creep up. This is where we are all surprised, even the velociprey. Will stands up straight, puts one foot forward, and raises his hammer. The startled velociprey leaps a small distance back and roars. This is all communication, creature to creature. Finally, the raptor charges him. Will, surprisingly, doesn't move. It leaps. As each of us gasp, he swings his hammer, catching the beast's body and tossing it to the side. As it is struggling to get up, Will runs over and throws the hammer down onto the raptor. It squirms once violently before resting limp on the ground. He did it.

Emily and I cheer for him loudly. Pete joins us more calmly. David, however… David begins to curse. With a pull of a lever, the barrier is gone and we rush out to Will, who has taken off his helmet and fallen to his knees in relief.

"Ok, good for Will," David says. "Lemme go next. A velociprey is no big deal!"

Pete agrees, and ushers us outside to lock David in. As the felynes clear out, David puts on his helm and loads his bowgun. His velociprey is released. He steps forward and fires a shot that goes extremely wide. The annoyed monster charges him as he fires three more shots; one into the ground; one high, and another wide. As he is trying to reload, it leaps and latches onto him, pulling him to the ground. We all laugh as he beats it off with his gun. It gets up and runs to the side. It turns around and begins to call at David as he gets up. He reloads and flips us off before firing his shot, which strikes the much close target in its front. It stumbles and roars back at David. For some reason, he drops his gun in front of him and crosses his arms. The raptor begins to charge David now. Emily and Will are freaking out, yelling at him. My brother and I know better, and are not the least bit shocked when the one creature becomes several pieces right in front of David. Pete laughs as he raises the gate. Will and I applaud, but Emily storms out to David as he wipes the blood off his face and punches him across the jaw.

"Whoa!" he exclaims as he grabs her arms and holds them down at her sides. "I know what I'm doing."

"You asshole! You scared me to death!" Will and I are trying so hard not to laugh. Dave looks at me for help, and I raise my eyebrows in reply. This is when he bends down to her height and kisses her. It was bound to happen. Even Pete says, "It's about time." Emily doesn't hold back.

As they pull away, David pats her on the shoulder and says, "You're next."

"What?!" We exit the arena, roll out her helm, and shut the gate. She laughs and calls Dave an asshole one more time, but of course, she does so with a smile. When she is ready, her velociprey is released. This one charges straight at her. Emily has the same idea and begins to sprint towards her raptor. Halfway there, she draws her dual blades off her back. Once it is close enough, it is Emily who leaps, tearing into the creatures neck with her blades and tackling it to the ground. She rolls over, gets up, and finishes off the velociprey. She tears off her helmet and shouts, "I just handed both your asses to you!"

It's my turn now. I watch each of my friends exit the arena, put on my helmet, and arm myself. My brother calls out, "You know what to do." The gate on the opposite end of the arena opens. Out of the dark come three velociprey.

My friends go silent. I look back at Pete, who tells me to not take my eyes off of them. I step forward and take an intimidating stance. The velociprey call back and forth at each other, trying to figure out how to attack me.

I charge the one on the left. One should never charge the middle one; that is how you get sandwiched. It jumps back in time for me to turn at the middle one and impale its ribs. I stick my shield up and back off. I need to be spontaneous and wise with my weapon choice. With two to go, I certainly can't let any of my guard down. One agitated raptor launches itself at me. I am able to knock it over by sidestepping and hitting it with my shield. After slicing it's neck, I look the last one in the eye. After staring me down, it turns to its gate and runs at it. I relax for a second as I watch it nudge and scratch the doors. Once it realizes it is cornered, it will become a loose cannon, very dangerous. I charge at it, impaling its side just as it begins to turn back around. I watch as it sinks to the ground. I can hear them cheering for me.

The rush I get from this moment opens doors I never saw. I want to become a full fledged hunter. I don't want to stop after we save Will.


End file.
